Abstract
The continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants required rapid and reliable diagnostic methods for early detection and monitoring of the spread of the virus, especially in low-resource countries where whole genome sequencing is not available. We aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of two different RT-qPCR screening assays for the detection of B.1.617 lineage mutations. A total of 85 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples were collected between 9 th August and 10 September 2021 and screened by two mutation-specific RT-qPCR assays for simultaneous detection of B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 lineage mutations. VIASURE Variant II PCR assay identified 2 Delta variant-specific mutations (L452R, and P681 R) in 80% of tested samples, while the PKamp™ Variant Detect™ assay was only able to detect one Delta variant specific mutation (L452R) in 75% of tested samples. This is the first report to show the Delta variant as the cause of the third wave in Libya. The use of multiplex RT-qPCR assays has allowed the identification of new variants for rapid screening. However, RT-qPCR results should be confirmed by whole genome sequencing of SARS-COV-2.
Keywords: B.1.617 lineage; Libya; RT- qPCR; delta variant; kappa variant.
【저자키워드】 delta variant, B.1.617 lineage, Libya, kappa variant., RT- qPCR, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Mutation, Sequencing, mutations, variant, Delta, B.1.617.2, virus, Spread, RT-qPCR, L452R, B.1.617.1, B.1.617, Lineage, Diagnostic method, RT-qPCR assay, PCR assay, P681, multiplex RT-qPCR, whole genome, positive sample, country, new SARS-CoV-2, tested, detect, collected, evaluate, required, screened, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Mutation, RT-qPCR, B.1.617,